Simviation Forums

So, I was thinking the other day; Is it possible to "ride" the sound barrier?

Or in different words, is it possible to get your speed right at the point to where you would be right at the verge of a sonic boom, causing a very long one?

Comments?

That's not exactly how it works. The sonic boom occurs anytime you are above Mach 1. And from the cockpit you're really not hearing the boom at all. If you think of when a small plane passes overhead, you can hear it before it reaches you. In a sonic boom, you can think of all that sound that would have reached you before hitting you all at once because the aircraft is traveling faster than the sound. So "riding" the sound barrier would really do nothing to prolong the sound of the sonic boom.

On another note, it is possible to "ride" on top of your shockwaves, the XB-70 utilized this technique in it's short lived career to reach incredible speeds.

There is no sonic boom at the verge of the speed of sound. It occurs only at